Fuel feed device for gas lighter



may 30, W6? 55mm-1| KWMBAYASHI 3552216@ FUEL FEED DEVICE FOR GAS LIGHTER Filed. Feb. 26, 1965 INVENTOR S-NM@ WNIWSHP q J BY gg a ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 4 Claims. (Cl. 141-293) The present invention relates to fuel feed devices for gas lighter which devices having a pressure bottle for containing liquefied gas, a discharge nozzle for engaging gas lighter fill valves, and -a fuel discharge control valve being encased in said pressure bottle and connected to said discharge nozzle base end.

An object of the present invention is to provide improved means for feeding fuel in gas lighters provided with a conventional fill valve having no passage for exhausting gas, and provide substantially the same actional advantages as obtained when feeding gas lighters provided with a fill valve having a passage for liquid together with a passage for exhausting gas.

A fuel feed device for gas lighter according to the present invention comprises a discharge valve for being encased in and fitted to the wall of a pressure bottle containing liquefied gas fuel and a discharge nozzle for engaging fill Valves for gas lighter, said discharge nozzle having therethrough an axial bore and extending through said pressure bottle wall, said discharge valve being devised so as normally to close said liquefied gas fuel through said axial bore upon axial push-in movement of said discharge nozzle, said fill valves for gas lighter having an annular gasket for limiting the valve inside to outer space and engaging closely said discharge nozzle outer end side wall, the outer end position of said discharge nozzle being provided with a side passage for normally passing gas extending therethrough and generally being in parallel to said nozzle axial bore, said side passage opening to outside of said nozzle at both ends thereof and being provided so as to be far more resistant than said axial bore is to a fluid.

The embodiment of the present invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, will hereinafter be described.

In the drawings:

FIG. l is a longitudinal sectional view of a fuel feed device according to the present invention fitted to the wall of a pressure bottle and shown in its state in which the discharge nozzle engages a fill valve of gas lighter to open the same valve, but also shown in the normal position ofthe fuel discharge valve.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modification of a discharge nozzle according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View of another modification of a discharge nozzle according to the present invention.

In PIG. l, 1 is the pressure bottle wall of a fuel feed device which bottle contains therein liquefied gas fuel for feed. In the present normal position of the fuel feed device, a reversed cup shaped valve element 4 engages a gasket 5, and axial bore 3 of discharge nozzle 2 is closed to the pressure bottle inside. And, when discharge nozzle 2 is pushed against valve spring 6 in valve housing 8, valve clement Li separates from gasket 5 and the liquefied gas contained in the pressure bottle is discharged from orifice 9 through axial bore 3, because valve orifice 7 opens to the valve housing 8 inside.

While a fill valve for gas lighter which is conventional and most used at present has an annular gasket 10. And, at normal position in which said fill valve is closed, valve stem 11 engages gasket 10 bottom face to close the valve inside against the outer space of the valve. Valve spring 12 is so designed as to be weaker in the spring -action than valve spring 6 of the fuel feed device.

As it will be understood from FIG. 1, when discharge nozzle 2 is inserted in the gasket 10 axial bore and valve stem 11 is pushed down, and consequently when valve element 4 is pushed up, the liquefied gas fuel contained in the pressure bottle is discharged through axial bore 3 and orifice 9 to flow into the lighter fuel reservoir. But after a short time, said flow of fuel stops despite a vast space in the lighter reservoir, on account of a pressure balance caused betwen the gas pressure in the fuel feed pressure bottle and the lighter fuel reservoir in which the liquefied gas soon vaporizes -by agitation and accumulates.

However, in the present invention, a special attention has `been paid to a fact as follows: Passage resistances of a fluid in different phases in passagew'ays having an equal cross sectional area vary greatly. And, it is possible to compose a passageway which passes easily fluid in vapour phase but substantially presents a fluid in liquid phase from passing therethrough when the above two phases exist at the same time.

In the present invention, the principle of passing fluid in ya passage of the above description is utilized. And, liquified gas having liquid and vapour phases in a fill valve for gas lighter at filling operations is treated as follows: On one hand, liquid phase gas is injected through a passage (discharge nozzle axial bore) in the fill valve inside space. On the other hand, vapour phase gas which accumulates in the same ll valve inside space is exhausted through another passage (discharge nozzle side passage) provided in the same nozzle.

Screw thread clearance 15 which is provided between sleeve 13 and nozzle proper 14 as shown in FIG. 1 is the above-mentioned passage for exhausting gas. And, gas phase liquified gas which has accumulated in the lighter fuel reservoir gets in said screw thread clearance 15 through the screwthread outer end 16 and side bore 17, and is discharged through side bore 18 which is positioned at an outside of gasket 10.

During fuel filling operations, liquid phase gas cannot pass through the above-mentioned screw thread clearances 15 which are so resistant for liquid phase gas to pass therethrough and said liquid phase gas Hows down by its own weight in the lighter fuel reservoir by passing through the valve housing 19 inside, and collects until the side bore 17 level is reached. When side bore 17 is reached by liquid phase gas, discharge of gas from` side bore 18 stops and the lighter fuel reservoir increases in pressure for causing liquid phase gas to pass through thread clearances 15 and to run out of side bore 18. Then, discharge nozzle 2 is drawn out of the lighter fill valve for ending the filling operation.

The discharge nozzle shown in ment of the present invention. In this embodiment a threaded tube 21 is screwed in discharge nozzle proper 20 for composing an exhaust passage for gas with screw thread clearances 22.

The Idischarge noggle shown in FIG. 3 is of another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment a sleeve 24 is put on discharge nozzle proper 23. A cylindrical clearance 25 is provided between discharge nozzle proper 23 and sleeve 24 and an annular resilient bush 26 with small pores is put between the sleeve 24 upper end brim and discharge nozzle proper 23 for composing a resistant passage for exhausting gas with bush 26.

By means of embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the difference of passage resistances in a passageway which exists between different phases of a Huid is as well utilized as in the embodiment of FIG. 1 for filling liquified gas in a gas lighter fuel reservoir.

FIG. 2 is of an embodition of said discharge nozzle with the Heretofore, fill valves for gas lighter in which a passage for exhausting gas is provided independently of a passage for charging liquified gas are well known. In said known ll valves, s-aid passage for exhausing gas together with said passage for charging liquied gas is opened upon filling operations. Said ll valves having said two passages are also required to be provided with valves for opening and closing said respective passages. As the result, their structures are complicated and expensive. Besides, they have a defect in getting out of order at high rates on account of their delicate structure.

According to the present invention, however, only a common, simplest and most classical structure is required for lighter fill valves for obtaining advantages which consist in the capacity of filling fuel fully in a lighter fuel reservoir.

Most commercial fuel feed devices for gas lighter are provided with such a discharge nozzle as indicated above as a nozzle base tube. And, it will be understood easily that such above-mentioned nozzle top tube when connected to a conventional fuel feed device is especially uscful for improving fuel filling actions of a most conventional gas lighter.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim is:

1. A device for supplying fuel to a reservoir of a gas type lighter comprising in combination a container for liquied gas fuel under pressure, a discharge valve mounted in said container including a spring normally retaining said valve closed to the passage of the fuel from said container, a discharge nozzle having an end portion slideably extending through said container against said valve for at times opening said valve against said valve spring when slid into said container, said discharge nozzle having an axial bore and a side opening in said end portion communicating with said axial bore for receiving the fuel from said container when said discharge valve is opened, tubular means mounted on said discharge nozzle providing a restricted passageway for exhausting said reservoir extending longitudinally of the opposite end porends of said passageway opening late-rally of said discharge nozzle, and a ll valve to be mounted in the lighter communicating with the lighter fuel reservoir including a spring relatively weaker than said discharge valve spring for normally closing said ll valve and an opening detachably and slideably receiving said nozzle to open said fill valve against said lill valve spring.

2. A device for supplying fuel to a gas type lighter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said discharge nozzle opposite end portion has a threaded periphery, said tubular means comprises an internally threaded sleeve in threaded engagement with said discharge nozzle opposite end and said discharge nozzle opposite end portion threads and said sleeve threads have a clearance therebetween providing said restricted passageway.

3. A device for supplying fuel to a gas type lighter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said discharge nozzle axial bore has an enlarged threaded portion, said tubular means comprises a threaded tube in threaded engagement with said discharge nozzle enlarged threaded portion and said tube threads and the threads of said discharge nozzle enlarged threaded portion have a clearance therebetween providing said restricted passageway.

4. A device for supplying fuel to a gas type lighter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tubular means comprises a sleeve xedly mounted on said discharge nozzle opposite end portion and spaced therefrom and a bushing with small pores extends ac-ross at least a portion of the space between said sleeve and said discharge nozzle providing said restricted passageway.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,593,634 4/1952` Vosburg 141-295 X 2,989,091 `6/ 1961 Lowenthal 141-354 X 3,035,617 5/1962 Breitenstein 141-349 3,093,166 6/1963 Iketani 141-Z95 3,146,808 9/1964 Zellweger 141-295 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,044,307 6/195'3 France. 1,227,311 3/1960 France.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner, H. S. BELL, Assistant Ixamz'rter-` 

1. A DEVICE FOR SUPPLYING FUEL TO A RESERVOIR OF A GAS TYPE LIGHTER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A CONTAINER FOR LIQUIFIED GAS FUEL UNDER PRESSURE, A DISCHARGE VALVE MOUNTED IN SAID CONTAINER INCLUDING A SPRING NORMALLY RETAINING SAID VALVE CLOSED TO THE PASSAGE OF THE FUEL FROM SAID CONTAINER, A DISCHARGE NOZZLE HAVING AN END PORTION SLIDEABLY EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CONTAINER AGAINST SAID VALVE FOR AT TIMES OPENING SAID VALVE AGAINST SAID VALVE SPRING WHEN SLID INTO SAID CONTAINER, SAID DISCHARGE NOZZLE HAVING AN AXIAL BORE AND A SIDE OPENING IN SAID END PORTION COMMUNICATING WITH SAID AXIAL BORE FOR RECEIVING THE FUEL FROM SAID CONTAINER WHEN SAID DISCHARGE VALVE IS OPENED, TUBULAR MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID DISCHARGE NOZZLE PROVIDING A RESTRICTED PASSAGEWAY FOR EXHAUSTING SAID RESERVOIR EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE OPPOSITE END PORTION OF SAID DISCHARGE NOZZLE WITH THE ENDS OF SAID PASSAGEWAY OPENING LATERALLY OF SAID DISCHARGE NOZZLE, AND A FILL VALVE TO BE MOUNTED IN THE LIGHTER COMMUNICATING WITH THE LIGHTER FUEL RESERVOIR INCLUDING A SPRING RELATIVELY WEAKER THAN SAID DISCHARGE VALVE SPRING FOR NORMALLY CLOSING SAID FILL VALVE AND AN OPENING DETACHABLY AND SLIDEABLY RECEIVING SAID NOZZLE TO OPEN SAID FILL VALVE AGAINST SAID FILL VALVE SPRING. 